Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

* LIVE * SESSION COVERAGE

Posted in:

Illinois
Updated Posts

* Blackberry users click here…

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 22, 13 @ 8:54 am

Comments

I see Medicaid is probably going to be expanded while benefits are being taken away from retired government employees who paid taxes and into the pension fund for decades. Does this make sense. While I feel for the poor I don’t want to join them because the benefits promised to me and which I paid for are taken away.

Comment by retired and fed up Wednesday, May 22, 13 @ 10:18 am
===While I feel for the poor===

Sure you do.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, May 22, 13 @ 10:22 am
I grew up poor in the country without indoor plumbing and worked hard in school to better myself and did public service because being rich was not one of my goals having matured in the sixties and being inspired by JFK so I really resent your comment. I had scholarships, worked and took out loans to do it and I paid them all back.

Comment by retired and fed up Wednesday, May 22, 13 @ 10:26 am
Did you walk 30 miles through blizzards on gravel roads to get to school?

Comment by Bill Wednesday, May 22, 13 @ 11:14 am
Actually, Medicaid already serves the poor, or a large percentage of them. The ACA expands Medicaid or provides access to subsidized health care to members of the middle class, who will be the primary beneficiaries of the ACA. These are working indivduals who lack health insurance at work and could not access health insurance at all, or only at prohibitive costs.

Comment by cassandra Wednesday, May 22, 13 @ 11:32 am
Retired and Fed Up is not kidding. The media has painted a picture of public employees living high on the hog and I’m sure a very few of them do. The vast majority will be hit hard–very hard– in their old age. The snarky comments show how totally out of touch some are and how gullible they have been believing the likes of the Tribbies. I guess when you’re doing well and you won’t be affected you can be callous.

Comment by Anonymous 1 Wednesday, May 22, 13 @ 11:46 am
Bill, only when I took the shortcut.

LOL

Comment by Norseman Wednesday, May 22, 13 @ 12:10 pm
Speaking of Medicaid, a study was recently published showing that health outcomes for diabetes and hypertension patients using Medicaid was not improved. What Medicaid did do is almost completely eliminate catastrophic medical expenses for very poor people. That helps people to not have to forgo other necessities like food and shelter in order to pay medical bills. That’s the point of having a safety net. The study also shows that Medicaid recipients less depressed.

There may also be a pilot program in Oregon to cut Medicaid costs, and that involves preventive measures. One example was used involving someone with heart failure who because of excessive heat had a bad health episode that cost tens of thousands of dollars. If this person had a $300 air conditioner, the flare-up could have been avoided.

Interesting stuff. We will have plenty to talk about when the ACA becomes fully implemented.

Comment by Grandson of Man Wednesday, May 22, 13 @ 4:45 pm
**Actually, Medicaid already serves the poor, or a large percentage of them. The ACA expands Medicaid or provides access to subsidized health care to members of the middle class, who will be the primary beneficiaries of the ACA. **

Umm…not quite. The Medicaid expansion expands eligibility to all adults up to 138% of federal poverty. I’d like you to explain how making 138% of FPL makes someone a member of the middle class.

Comment by dave Wednesday, May 22, 13 @ 4:56 pm